Thoughts on TV and movie period dramas

Downton Abbey (2010)

Sorry not to have updated this blog lately, but I’ve been busy at work once again! Anyway, this is really to say that I’m still here, and have been enjoying the latest smash hit costume drama, Downton Abbey. It has been drawing audiences of around 11 million in England and Wales alone, after the controversial decision by STV not to screen the show in Scotland.

It’s odd now to think that about a year ago it was being predicted that costume drama would disappear from British TV, and from ITV in particular, as a result of budget constraints. Sadly, it does still seem that TV adaptations of older literary classics are an endangered species, with very few such productions planned in the near future – the BBC is working on The Sisters, based on DH Lawrence’s The Rainbow and Women in Love, and a new version of Winifred Holtby’s South Riding, with a script by Andrew Davies, and that’s about it at the moment. I thought someone was bound to commission a major Dickens adaptation for 2012 to tie in with his bicentenary, but have heard nothing on that front yet – though I’m hoping! (A Tale of Two Cities would probably be my choice, if anyone is wondering.)

However, while Dickens, Austen etc may have disappeared from our TV schedules for the time being, there have been plenty of original new costume dramas in recent months – with the most successful of the bunch undoubtedly being Downton Abbey, a family saga set above and below stairs in an Edwardian country house, scripted by Julian Fellowes of Gosford Park fame. The show has come in for a fair amount of adverse criticism, some of it for soapy storylines, but some also centred on incredibly minor things like a double yellow line apparently being seen for a millisecond in one episode! However, the series continued to draw an enormous audience and a second season has now been commissioned.

The team below stairs at Downton Abbey

To be honest, I think I’d have to watch the whole mini-series again to begin to write a proper review, and I’m not sure I’ll have the time to do that at the moment. However, I do want to say that the whole cast did a great job, from Dame Maggie Smith as the impossibly superior Violet, the Dowager Countess of Grantham to Hugh Bonneville as her son, the Earl of Grantham, Elizabeth McGovern as his American wife, Cora, Michelle Dockery as their eldest daughter, Lady Mary, Dan Stevens as the heir to the estate, cousin Matthew Crawley and Penelope Wilton as his mother, who soon becomes Violet’s main rival.

Below stairs, everybody’s favourite is Brendan Coyle as John Bates, the valet with a bad leg as the result of a war wound, but Phyllis Logan and Jim Carter are great too as housekeeper Mrs Hughes and butler Mr Carson. I’d like more explanation about the motivation of the two scheming villains below stairs, footman Thomas (Rob James-Collier) and his partner in crime, ladies’ maid O’Brien (Siobhan Finneran), who are both unreasonably determined to get Bates the sack – but maybe more explanations will come in the second season, and the performances of both are excellent anyway.

A central plot element, with the estate looking set to go to a cousin because of an entail which means the family’s daughters can’t inherit, is similar to the initial set-up of Pride and Prejudice, as other commentators have pointed out. There have also been similarities with other works mentioned in the press, such as an incident at a flower show which is similar to a scene in the movie of Mrs Miniver. However, what really struck me was not so much these similarities as the differences from classic adaptations – because, with no novel to refer back to, Fellowes is able to create his own story and explore whatever interests him, in particular putting a far greater focus on the lives of the servants than most 19th or early 20th-century novels would. It does sometimes seem as if the relationships between the classes are freer and easier in this series than would actually have been the case, for instance with the aristocratic family taking an interest in one of the housemaids who wants to train as a secretary – but there are still moments when the social gulf between the classes is seen all too clearly, most of all at points when any of the servants fear that they could be summarily dismissed.

The first series begins with the news of the sinking of the Titanic and ends with the outbreak of the First World War, meaning the world of Downton Abbey will have changed dramatically by the time the second series begins, and it is likely that far more of the story will move outside the walls of the great house. I’m looking forward to it.

Just to add that I have cable TV and so was lucky enough to be able to see the series with no adverts via the “catch up” service – so it played seamlessly, like a BBC drama. I gather that many viewers were annoyed by having ads every few minutes, which broke the flow and kept on bringing them back to the present day with a bump. Anyway, if you were put off by all the ads, it might be worth giving it a second try on DVD.

18 Responses

Glad to hear that you watched Downton Judy! It’s one of my favourite dramas of late for certain! Although I’ve heard of less period dramas being in production, I haven’t felt it as much as anticipated and I think the success of Downton will only help to ensure further dramas. I get the feeling that the people at BBC are re-evaluating lately and I do hope they listen to what we’d like to see such as what you suggest with revisiting Dickens (preferably one that hasn’t been done to death!).

Have you heard of other upcoming dramas like 32 Brinkburn Street (BBC) and Treasure Island (Sky One)?

Oh yes, I did know about ‘Parade’s End’ though I forgot about it while writing my post – looking forward to it. I hadn’t heard of the other two you mentioned, though – will have to have a look through your list of forthcoming period dramas at your site! Many thanks, Charley!

I great review Judy! I shall have to watch the DVD as I missed every other week of this compelling series due to work commitments. I wonder how the new Upstairs Downstairs shalll be compared to this – and if there will be an upsurge of interest in the previous Upstairs downstairs series by those who haven’t seen them?

Thank you, Lynda! I kept missing it because of work too, but was able to watch on the catch-up service. I agree it will be interesting to see how the new ‘Upstairs Downstairs’ compares – I’m one of those who has only seen bits and pieces of the original series, so I should probably aim to catch up with more of it before the sequel.

Good to hear from you again Judy. I have really missed your insightful reviews. Still it is good to be busy at work. I have not been working at all lately so I envy you.
I really enjoyed Downton Abbey but it often felt very shallow, a well written, acted and directed soapie. Some of the story lines were quite improbable and I did long to see a little more honest subversion from the servants. They fell rather too neatly into the evil scheming or loyal and contented categories. Even the supposedly socialist chauffeur was subservient. Yet despite my reservations I got totally caught up in the story no doubt due to the fine acting. I was especially impressed by Michele Dockery, whose character I initially disliked. Mary became very complex as the series progressed and really was the star by the end. Like everyone my fav’ below stairs was Bates. I do hope he finally get to marry Anna.
I really look forward to the next series. taking the characters into the war. I hope there is more action outside the house, ie in France.
Janette

Thanks a lot for the kind comments, Janette, and I’ll try to update more often! I’m also sorry to hear you haven’t been working lately.

I agree with you that at times ‘Downton Abbey’ did feel rather soapy and also that it would have been good to see more of the “good” servants feeling the restrictions of their position – this did happen at times but there would have been scope for a lot more. I agree with you that I’m also looking forward to seeing the series move forward to wartime.

Ian Miller (remember him from Livejournal?) said he thought this film was a kind of _Remains of the Day_ told through the prism of female romances. You’re seeing it (as the reviews did too) as a new Upstairs Downstairs. Some of these films need to be seen several times to get what they’re after. Ellen

I’m interested in the comparison with ‘Remains of the Day’ – I’d say the two feel very different, but I can see that there are similarities in the way the servants’ own lives are subsumed into the life of the house and the people above stairs. I do agree I’d really have to see it again to get it more – maybe I’ll do that in the run-up to the second season. Thank you, Ellen, and thanks also to Ian, who does often comment on my blog here.:)

I watched the first hour and will register a “nay” view. I found it to be a parody of the genre: the scenes were so exaggerated and dialogue so brief and over-the-top, so little time given to any character development. They seemed just to imitate the most obvious of all the motifs of these film adaptations. A little more hamming up, just a tinkle and it’d be beyond the fringe — Tom Stoppard on Hamlet.

I felt embarrassed by it.

Similarly what I’ve read of the new Upstairs Downstairs it sounded hollow.

I’m sorry to hear you didn’t like it, Ellen – I didn’t think the first episode was the best part, but the series grew on me later although there were some soapy moments. I agree that sometimes the dialogue was too brief, but some of the characters did develop over the series. I understand that the US network made some cuts (though these are said to be relatively minor) especially to talk about the entail, and also made the episodes end in different places, so I wonder if that damaged the flow of it for those watching on US TV.

Must say I liked the new ‘Upstairs Downstairs’ very much – it probably impressed me more than Downton, with each episode really working as a separate play as well as part of the series – and would be interested to hear what you think once you get to see it. I’m now collecting the first series of the original via a newspaper giveaway and looking forward to seeing it.

I love your blog, and as you can see, I’m trying to get one of my own going.

I’m dying to watch Downton Abbey, but I’m recording the shows and I can’t figure out the order of the episodes. I’ve tried looking it up online, but I think the US episodes are airing in longer segments. (I’m in the US.)

Sorry to be so slow in replying, Megan – I’ve been really busy! – and thanks for the kind comments. You’re right that the episodes have been shown in longer segments in the US, and I think there have been some cuts too, though I understand these are not too bad. Thanks very much for linking to my blog, and I will link to yours.

I only just read your comment in this thread re the new Upstairs Downstairs and at the risk of repeating my previous post in a different thread on this series I must express my agreement with you. I was surprised to find that I preferred it to Downton Abbey. I felt that it had more depth though it was too compressed into three episodes. It was more concerned with the politics and history of the time which gave it more interest for me though I found the Rose character just as irritating as in the earlier incarnation.
Cheers
Janette

I can only take my hat off to the impressive roster of talent and skill of the English series. I really hope to continue producing more things like this in the factory yours to the delight of all.
It’s just perfect the atmosphere of the time and classes cohabit in it. And then you come to mind the equally wonderful “Upstairs, Downstairs”, although old, is still a benchmark.
It’s a series for lovers of vintage series, craftsmanship and drama students in our country.